Dr. Roosbelinda Cardenas Gonzalez, assistant professor of anthropology, received a Seed Grant from the CUNY Black, Race & Ethnic Studies Initiative (BRESI) in recognition of the potential of their research initiative, Latinx and Latin Americans in the Global Pact of Whiteness, to make important contributions in the field of Critical Race Studies and Ethnic Studies. 

The Seed Grant program is designed to support the early stages of research by providing funding to gather preliminary data, develop proof-of-concept studies or explore novel ideas that can lead to external funding or broader research initiatives. BRESI is an historic initiative, supported by the Mellon Foundation, with the overarching goal of reimagining and transforming University programs in Black, Race and Ethnic studies CUNY-wide.

Cardenas Gonzalez’s research brings the histories of postcolonial racial formations to bear on contemporary struggles over citizenship, national belonging and social justice in Latin America. As a politically engaged scholar, her research is intended to produce knowledge that can be activated for social change. Dr. Cárdenas has published in academic outlets such as Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies, Sexualidad, Salud y Sociedad: Revista Latinoamericana, Social Studies of Science and The Journal of Peasant of Studies, as well as in popular outlets such as NACLA, MERIP and The Nation. Her 2024 book, Raising Two Fists: Struggles for Black Citizenship in Multicultural Colombia, is the product of ethnographic research tracing Black antiracist organizing in Colombia for over two decades.

In 2023, three John Jay professors received BRESI fellowships and in 2022, ten John Jay professors were awarded BRESI grants.